Group Synchrony and Pain: Investigating the Interplay Between Social Bonding and Affective States

Group synchrony occurs spontaneously during social interactions and is associated with positive socio-affective outcomes, including reduced pain perception. While prior research highlights the role of social bonding, the influence of pain and its emotional components (i.e., fear) on group synchrony remains unclear. Two experiments investigated (i) the impact of synchrony on pain and (ii) the impact of pain on synchrony, social bonding, and affective states. In both studies, synchrony enhanced social connectedness but did not consistently reduce pain, and pain did not disrupt synchrony despite altering affective states. Experiment 1 showed that the threat of pain increased social bonding and arousal, suggesting that the emotional component of pain functions as a social glue. Experiment 2 demonstrated that fear of pain affected heart rates, mirroring patterns in chronic pain populations. Importantly, in both studies, the sense of "worthwhileness" emerged as a critical factor influencing individual contribution to synchronization and pain perception. Altogether, these results suggest that group synchrony is resilient to pain, paving the way for therapeutic interventions harnessing the benefits of collective motion.